Atenção psicossocial ao idoso em isolamento social/covid-19 / Cuidados psicosociales para los ancianos en aislamiento social/covid-19 / Psychosocial care for the elderly in social isolation/covid-19

RESUMO. A pandemia da Covid-19 levou ao isolamento social grande contingente populacional no Brasil e no mundo. Conforme as mais altas autoridades de saúde internacionais, entre elas a Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS), os idosos fazem parte do denominado 'grupo de risco' para a doença. Portanto, foram exigidos mais rigor e cuidado entre as pessoas com idade mais avançada, incluindo o isolamento social. Apesar da indiscutível importância dessa medida, os idosos em situação de isolamento social ficaram mais vulneráveis a uma série de agravos, principalmente os de ordem psíquica. O objetivo do presente trabalho é apresentar propostas de atenção psicossocial ao idoso em situação de sofrimento ou vulnerabilidade decorrente do isolamento social. As propostas buscam estimular a memória, a cognição e a psicomotricidade por meio de narrativas, recursos artísticos, Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação e objetos autobiográficos como, por exemplo, realizar videochamadas, ler, ouvir músicas, contar e relembrar histórias. Em geral, as atividades propostas podem ser coordenadas por profissionais e familiares e adaptadas conforme as características de cada idoso.

RESUMEN. La pandemia de COVID-19 llevó a un gran número de personas en Brasil y en todo el mundo al aislamiento social. Según las principales autoridades sanitarias internacionales, entre ellas la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), las personas mayores forman parte del denominado 'grupo de riesgo' de la enfermedad. De esta forma, se requería más rigor y cuidado entre las personas mayores, incluyendo el aislamiento social. Como es sabido, a pesar de la indiscutible importancia de esta acción, las personas mayores aisladas socialmente fueron más expuestas a una serie de enfermedades, principalmente relacionadas con problemas psíquicos. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar las propuestas de atención psicosocial para los ancianos en situación de sufrimiento o discapacidad debido al aislamiento social. Las propuestas buscan estimular la memoria, la cognición y la psicomotricidad a través de narraciones, recursos artísticos, tecnologías de la información y comunicación y objetos autobiográficos, como videoconferencias, lectura, escucha de música, narración y recordación de historias. En general, las actividades propuestas pueden ser coordinadas por profesionales y miembros de la familia y adaptadas según las características de cada persona mayor.

ABSTRACT. The COVID-19 pandemic drove a large population contingent in Brazil and worldwide into social isolation. As reported by the highest international health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the elderly people are part of the so-called 'risk group' for the disease. Thus, more rigor and care were required among elderly people, including social isolation. It is well known that, despite the undeniable importance of this action, elderly people in social isolation were more exposed to a series of illnesses, mainly related to psychic problems. The goal of this paper is to propose psychosocial care for the elderly in a situation of distress, or vulnerability due to social isolation. The ideas seek to induce memory, cognition and psychomotricity through narratives, artistic resources, Information, Communication Technologies and autobiographical objects, such as video calls, reading, listening to music, storytelling and recalling. In general, the proposed activities can be coordinated by professionals and family members and adapted according to the characteristics of each elderly person.

Ensino, cuidado e subjetividade no campo da medicina: um estudo de caso / Enseñanza, cuidado y subjetividad en la medicina: un estudio de caso / Teaching, care and subjectivity in medicine: a case study

RESUMO Considerando as atuais dificuldades enfrentadas em serviços de saúde mental e suas possíveis relações com a formação de profissionais de saúde, este artigo visa discutir como o ensino de medicina foi configurado subjetivamente por uma estudante universitária e as possíveis relações desse processo com alguns dos atuais desafios da reforma psiquiátrica brasileira. Este trabalho baseou-se num estudo de caso realizado ao longo de quatro meses com uma estudante de medicina de uma faculdade pública do Distrito Federal, onde se faz uso de metodologias ativas de aprendizagem. Foram utilizadas como referenciais a Teoria da Subjetividade, a Epistemologia Qualitativa e a metodologia construtivo-interpretativa de González Rey. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam para a organização de uma subjetividade social do ensino de medicina marcada por processos relacionados ao modelo biomédico, apesar das mudanças institucionais que visam promover um ensino pautado num modelo de atenção biopsicossocial. A participante expressa uma configuração subjetiva em que o cuidado articula-se ao controle e à medicalização, cujo desenvolvimento parece ter sido favorecido pela subjetividade social de seu contexto de ensino. Além disso, pode-se dizer que a subjetividade social do ensino de medicina está possivelmente relacionada a uma subjetividade social manicomial, ainda presente em serviços substitutivos, como os Centros de Atenção Psicossocial, dificultando as mudanças propostas pela reforma psiquiátrica. Por fim, este trabalho enfatiza o caráter subjetivo da aprendizagem, por meio do qual se articulam processos relacionados a diferentes âmbitos de vida da pessoa, como o educacional, o familiar e o cultural.

RESUMEN Teniendo en cuenta las dificultades actuales que enfrentan los servicios de salud mental y sus posibles relaciones con la formación de profesionales de la salud, este artículo tiene como objetivo discutir cómo la enseñanza de la medicina fue configurada subjetivamente por un estudiante universitario y las posibles relaciones de este proceso con algunos de los desafíos actuales de reforma psiquiátrica brasileña. Este trabajo se basó en un estudio de caso realizado durante cuatro meses con una estudiante de medicina de una universidad pública del Distrito Federal, donde se utilizan metodologías activas de aprendizaje. La Teoría de la Subjetividad, la Epistemología Cualitativa y la metodología constructivo-interpretativo de González Rey fueron utilizados como referentes. Los resultados de la investigación apuntan a la organización de una subjetividad social en la educación médica marcada por procesos relacionados con el modelo biomédico, a pesar de los cambios institucionales que tienen como objetivo promover una enseñanza basada en un modelo de atención biopsicosocial. La participante expresa una configuración subjetiva en la que el cuidado está vinculado al control y a la medicalización, cuyo desarrollo parece haber sido favorecido por la subjetividad social de su contexto de enseñanza. Además, se puede decir que la subjetividad social de la educación médica posiblemente esté relacionada con la subjetividad social manicomial, aún presente en servicios comunitarios, como los Centros de Atención Psicosocial, lo que dificulta los cambios propuestos por la reforma psiquiátrica. Finalmente, este trabajo expone el carácter subjetivo del aprendizaje, a través del cual se articulan procesos relacionados con diferentes áreas de la vida de la persona, como la educación, la familia y la cultura.

ABSTRACT Considering the current challenges faced in mental health services and their possible relationships with the training of health professionals, this article aimed to discuss how the teaching of medicine was subjectively configured by an undergraduate and the possible relationships of this process with some of the current challenges of the Brazilian psychiatric reform. This study was based on a case study carried out over four months with a medical student from a public college in the Federal District, where active learning methodologies are used. The Theory of Subjectivity, Qualitative Epistemology and the constructive-interpretative methodology of González Rey were used as framework. The results indicate the organization of a social subjectivity of medicine teaching marked by processes related to the biomedical model, despite institutional changes that aim to promote teaching based on a biopsychosocial care model. The participant expresses a subjective configuration in which care is linked to control and medicalization, whose development seems to have been favoured by the social subjectivity of her teaching context. In addition, it can be said that the social subjectivity of medical education is possibly related to a mental hospital social subjectivity, still present in substitute mental health services, such as Psychosocial Care Centers, making the changes proposed by the psychiatric reform more difficult to be accomplished. Finally, this study emphasizes the subjective aspect of learning, through which processes related to different areas of a person's life are articulated, such as education, family and culture.

Potencialidades das intervenções grupais em Centros de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas / Potencial de las intervenciones grupales en los Centros de Atención Psicosocial por Alcohol y Drogas / Potential of group interventions in Psychosocial Care Centers for Alcohol and Drugs

Resumo Objetivo analisar as potencialidades das intervenções grupais em Centros de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas na perspectiva dos profissionais. Método pesquisa-intervenção de abordagem qualitativa. Participaram 30 profissionais de saúde mental de quatro Centros de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas da região central do Brasil. Os dados foram coletados por meio de instrumentos autoaplicáveis e rodas de conversa com roteiro semiestruturado. Para a análise dos dados, utilizou-se a Análise de Conteúdo, modalidade Temática, com o auxílio dosoftware ATLAS.ti. Resultados a categoria temática Potencialidades das intervenções grupais contemplou quatro subcategorias que abordaram aspectos relacionados à estrutura física, aos recursos materiais, aos aspectos dos usuários, aos profissionais e aos processos de trabalho. Considerações finais e as implicações para a prática a potência da prática com grupos estava presente em grande parte dos atendimentos nos serviços pesquisados com a identificação de inúmeros fatores terapêuticos aos usuários. As intervenções aumentaram a fluidez dos processos de trabalho, razão pela qual necessitam ser mais difundidas e implementadas pelas equipes multidisciplinares nos serviços de saúde mental.

Resumen Objetivo analizar el potencial de las intervenciones grupales en los Centros de Atención Psicosocial por Alcohol y Drogas, desde la perspectiva de los profesionales. Método investigación de intervención con enfoque cualitativo. Participaron treinta profesionales de la salud mental de cuatro Centros de Atención Psicosocial por Alcohol y Drogas de la región central de Brasil. Los datos se recolectaron a través de instrumentos autoadministrados y ruedas de conversación, con un guión semiestructurado. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó el Análisis de Contenido, modalidad temática, con la ayuda del software ATLAS.ti. Resultados la categoría temática Potenciales de intervenciones grupales incluyó cuatro subcategorías que abordaron aspectos relacionados con la estructura física, recursos materiales, aspectos de usuarios, profesionales y procesos de trabajo. Consideraciones finales e implicaciones para la práctica el poder de la práctica con grupos estuvo presente en gran parte de las consultas en los servicios encuestados, identificando numerosos factores terapéuticos para los usuarios. Las intervenciones aumentaron la fluidez de los procesos de trabajo, por lo que necesitan ser más generalizadas e implementadas por equipos multidisciplinares en los servicios de salud mental.

Abstract Objective to analyze the potential of group interventions in Psychosocial Care Centers for Alcohol and Drugs from the perspective of professionals. Method intervention-research of qualitative approach. Thirty mental health professionals from four Psychosocial Care Centers for Alcohol and Drugs in the central region of Brazil participated. The data was collected through self-applied instruments and conversation rounds with a semi-structured script. For data analysis, we used Content Analysis, Thematic modality, with the help of the ATLAS.ti software. Results the thematic category Potential of group interventions contemplated four subcategories that approached aspects related to the physical structure, material resources, user aspects, professionals and work processes. Final considerations and implications for practice the power of the practice with groups was present in much of the care in the services researched with the identification of numerous therapeutic factors for users. The interventions increased the fluidity of the work processes, which is why they need to be more widespread and implemented by multidisciplinary teams in mental health services.

Comparing satisfaction of trauma patients 55 years or older to their caregivers during palliative care: Who faces the burden?

BACKGROUND: Many studies report on the patient-caregiver relationship during palliative care (PC); however, this relationship has yet to be examined following traumatic injury. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included trauma patients (≥55 years) and their primary caregivers admitted at two level I trauma centers for 2 years (November 2016 to November 2018), who received PC and who completed satisfaction surveys before discharge; surveys were analyzed by four domains: information giving, availability of care, physical care, and psychosocial care, and by PC assessments: consultations, prognostications, formal family meetings (FFMs), and advanced goals of care discussions. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients and caregivers who were satisfied (defined as ≥80%) and was analyzed using McNemar's test. Adjusted mixed models identified PC assessments that were associated with satisfaction scores ≥80% for patients and caregivers. RESULTS: Of the 441-patient and 441-caregiver pairs, caregivers were significantly less satisfied than patients during prognostications (information giving, physical care), FFMs (information giving, physical care), and consultations (physical care), while caregivers were significantly more satisfied than patients during advanced goals of care discussions (availability of care, psychosocial care). After adjustment, significant predictors of caregiver satisfaction (≥80%) included longer patient hospital length of stay (>4 days), caring for a male patient (physical care, availability of care), higher caregiver age (≥55 years; availability of care), and higher patient age (≥65 years; psychosocial care). Conversely, all PC assessments decreased odds of satisfaction for caregivers in every domain except physical care. Significant predictors of higher patient satisfaction included FFMs (for every domain) and PC consultations (psychosocial care), and decreased odds included advanced goals of care discussions and prognostication assessments (information giving, psychosocial care). CONCLUSIONS: Palliative care increased satisfaction of patients, especially family meetings and consultations, while assessments were predictive of lower caregiver satisfaction, suggesting that caregivers may be experiencing some of the patient burden. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management, level IV.

Dynamics of Child soldiers' Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Well-being: Perspectives from Bioecological Systems Theory in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background research on children associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG) and the analysis of how to facilitate their social reintegration and human development reveals a variety of complex individual and collective challenges with which they are confronted; however, their social and cultural environment, and the risks that may impede their future development and well-being, remain understudied. This empirical research reports the results of descriptive and correlational analyses of data emanating from author-administered interviews, and focus group discussions with 128 CAAFAG and two psychologists working with them in rehabilitation centers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The entire sample involved relatively young participants (N = 130, M = 17.11, SD = 4.28), with the youngest child aged 11. The outcomes sustain that the psychosocial rehabilitation programme framed within Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory shows promising effects in enhancing CAAFAG's well-being, human growth; and in reducing potential violent behavior.

Exploring Participant Perceptions of a Community-Based Program for People With Brain Injury.

An acquired brain injury presents complex challenges to survivors returning to the community, and as more individuals survive, the need for programs that support optimal quality of life increases. To explore participant perceptions of a community-based program. To accomplish objectives, 10 individuals living with chronic brain injury who were attendees of the community program were interviewed. Applying qualitative study procedures, all narrative data were transcribed and analyzed. All participants expressed that the program positively impacted several personal life satisfaction factors as well as their participation within their respective communities. Themes included (1) Acceptance, (2) Sense of Community, (3) Sense of Purpose, (4) Autonomy, and (5) Personal Development. Discussion includes analysis of program elements that help explain participant responses. Description of the occupational therapy grounded program offers a guide to others wishing to develop similar programs for individuals living with brain injury.

Satisfaction of Slovak women with psychosocial aspects of care during childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to find out and assess satisfaction of Slovak women with psychosocial aspects of perinatal care. DESIGN AND SETTING: The research was designed as a quantitative cross-sectional study. The research data were collected in five pediatric outpatient clinics in Slovakia. PARTICIPANTS: The research sample consisted of 360 women within 0-1 year after natural delivery (average time in months from childbirth: 6.22 ± 3.64) who visited the selected pediatric outpatient clinic in the period from October 2016 to January 2018. METHODS: To collect the relevant data, the original Czech questionnaire measuring psychosocial climate in maternity hospitals - KLI-P (Cronbach α = 0.95) was used to investigate the satisfaction of women with care during labor and delivery as well as with psychosocial aspects. The following six factors were assessed: (1) helpfulness and empathy of midwives and (2) of physicians, (3) superiority and lack of interest, (4) physical comfort and services, (5) control of a woman in labor and her participation in decision-making, (6) providing information. The received data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, robust ANOVA, Post-hoc test, the Wilcoxon two-sample test, a G-test of independence and the Cochran-Armitage test of trend. FINDINGS: We found that most women (83.1%) were generally satisfied with their care during labor and delivery as well as with psychosocial support. In terms of psychosocial aspects, the highest level of satisfaction was attributed to the approach of the health professionals and the lowest one (61.5%) to the control and participation of delivering woman in decision-making. Both perception of the course of labor and delivery and skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth were shown to be statistically significant predictors of women's satisfaction. The aspect of age was found to be statistically significant in relation to the factor of control of a woman in labor and her participation in decision-making. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: It can be concluded that it is necessary to pay attention to the psychosocial aspects of health care during labor and delivery, with the emphasis on strengthening interventions in the field of participation of women in decision-making. Simultaneously, it is beneficial to emphasize and support the naturalness of childbirth so that women would associate childbirth with a positive experience. Finally, it is important to promote skin-to-skin contact right after birth.

Cognitive rehabilitation and prehabilitation in people with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is now recognized as a network disorder of the brain that can impact cognition beyond the periictal disturbance associated with seizures. While there is a large literature on the assessment of cognitive functions, particularly memory, in people with epilepsy, there are far fewer studies looking at the efficacy of treatments for cognitive dysfunction in this population. Reviews of the cognitive rehabilitation literature in epilepsy have begun to outnumber original studies. This paper examines the possible reasons for this unsatisfactory ratio in the literature and examines the unique challenges and opportunities for cognitive rehabilitation in this population, with a particular focus on epilepsy surgical candidates. The concept of prehabilitation in this population is described. While traditional cognitive rehabilitation is implemented after a patient has developed a neuropsychological deficit, in surgical candidates, prehabilitation uses intact functions before they are lost to establish compensatory strategies and routines prior to surgery in preparation for postoperative changes. The likely postoperative neuropsychological profile for individual patients can now be modeled using preoperative data. These predictions can guide and inform the prehabilitation process. Rather than concluding with a generic call for more research, the paper presents a framework for a rehabilitation program with practical solutions to address cognitive difficulties in both surgical and nonsurgical populations of people with epilepsy.

Psychosocial aspects of the lived experience of multiple sclerosis: personal perspectives.

Purpose: To explore participants' personal perspectives: on psychosocial aspects of living with multiple sclerosis (MS) following inpatient rehabilitation; and on experiences of the rehabilitation hospital stay and discharge to home.Methods: One-on-one, semi-structured in-depth interviews, were conducted with 15 people with various forms of MS, post discharge from a rehabilitation hospital. Thematic analysis of the data was undertaken.Results: The emergent themes were: Fatigue, Independence and Dependence, Loss, Provision of Care, and Perceptions of Care. The first three themes shared a focus on the lived experience of MS and are the subject of this paper. Each of the two remaining themes were essentially independent of the other themes, with one being centred on experiences of the rehabilitation hospital stay, and the other on aspects of general medical care.Conclusions: Personal perspectives on living with MS following inpatient rehabilitation focussed on: the negative impacts of physical and mental fatigue; the desire to maximise independence in activities of daily living and to minimise reliance on others; and perceptions of loss. These findings shed new light on psychosocial aspects of the lived experience of MS and, as such, have potential applications in rehabilitation for those with MS.Implications for RehabilitationPhysical and mental fatigue is central to the lived experience of multiple sclerosis, as it has an all pervading negative influence on most aspects of life, and can be considerably debilitating.The severe and debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis-related fatigue mandate an explicit focus, of rehabilitation, on fatigue, and, in particular, on the fostering of the development of strategies that serve to minimise the multitude of negative impacts of fatigue.For those with multiple sclerosis, considerable importance is placed on maintaining or regaining independence in activities of daily living, and in daily personal care activities, in particular, partly because a need to rely on an intimate partner or other family member for support with such activities can be problematic.The high importance of independence in activities of daily living, and in daily personal care activities in particular, is indicative of the need for multiple sclerosis rehabilitation to have an explicit focus on this domain, in terms of interventions that aim to maximise independence in such activities.

Evaluation of motivation for the treatment of drug addicts with personality disorders

Lack of motivation for the treatment of drug addiction is associated with dropout and relapses. Further, personality disorders (PD) have traditionally been linked to low motivation and therapeutic failure. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the structure of the Motivation for Treatment Questionnaire (MTQ-8), as well as to determine differences in motivation due to the presence of PD and the impact of psychological adjustment on motivation. The sample included 125 patients (84% male) who started a treatment for their addiction to cocaine and alcohol. Rasch analysis was applied for the first objective, and means contrast and regression analysis for the others. The two subscales of the MTQ-8 fit the Rasch model, with appropriate psychometric characteristics when merging Items 5 and 7. The presence of PD was not associated with reduced motivation. Motivation for treatment was greater when abstinence was less than three weeks, and psychological distress predicted motivation for treatment. The present study confirms that MTQ-8 subscales are suitable for measuring motivation for treatment and readiness for change in drug-dependent patients. It is noted that the presence of PD should not be associated with a lower level of motivation, and that psychological distress influences motivation

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Family-centered practices and the parental well-being of young children with disabilities and developmental delay.

BACKGROUND: Research evidence from studies in North America on the relationships between family-centered practices, parents' self-efficacy beliefs, parenting confidence and competence beliefs, and parents' psychological well-being was used to confirm or disconfirm the same relationships in two studies in Spain. AIMS: The aim of Study 1 was to determine if results from studies in North America could be replicated in Spain and the aim of Study 2 was to determine if results from Study 1 could be replicated with a second sample of families in Spain. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A survey including the study measures was used to obtain data needed to evaluate the relationships among the variables of interest. The participants were 105 family members in Study 1 and 310 family members in Study 2 recruited from nine early childhood intervention programs. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect effects of the study variables on parents' well-being. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Results showed that family-centered practices were directly related to both self-efficacy beliefs and parenting beliefs, and indirectly related to parents' psychological well-being mediated by belief appraisals. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The pattern of results was similar to those reported in other studies of family-centered practices. Results indicated that the use of family-centered practices can have positive effects on parent well-being beyond that associated with different types of belief appraisals.

Functioning and cognitive characteristics of clozapine users referred to psychosocial rehabilitation centers: A REHABase cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore whether clozapine users have specific rehabilitation needs compared to users of other antipsychotics. METHODS: The study was performed using the REHABase collecting data on persons referred to a French network of psychosocial rehabilitation centers. It was restricted to persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorder using antipsychotics. Multivariate analyses were used to compare baseline functioning and cognitive characteristics in clozapine users vs. users of other antipsychotics. RESULTS: Of the 675 patients identified in the REHABase, one out of ten (n = 70) used clozapine. Compared to users of other antipsychotics, clozapine users had been more frequently hospitalized in psychiatry and presented less frequently with psychoactive substance use. Functional measures did not significantly differ between the two groups. Clozapine users had poorer short-term verbal memory performance than users of other antipsychotics and did not differ on executive performance. CONCLUSION: Clozapine users may reach a recovery level comparable to that obtained in persons without treatment-resistant schizophrenia. In order to reduce the negative impact of memory deficits on the recovery process of clozapine users, it is necessary to optimize their psychotropic treatment and to promote their access to cognitive remediation programs addressing their specific needs.

How does the public understand recovery from severe mental illness versus substance use disorder?

OBJECTIVE: Recovery from severe mental illnesses (SMI) has been described as an outcome (end state where persons are symptom free) or as a process (despite symptoms, people can pursue life goals). Less clear is whether recovery as a process has credibility in the substance use disorders (SUD) community. We examined how public perceptions and expectations of outcome and process between SMI and SUD differed. A severity effect within SMI and SUD categories was also examined. METHOD: Participants (N = 195) read definitions of SMI and SUD and completed an online survey of their agreement on: perceptions of recovery from SMI and SUD as outcome and process, and expectations of recovery as outcome and process. Participants were then given more and less severe SMI (i.e., schizophrenia vs. depression) and SUD (opiate vs. alcohol use) definitions. They then responded to recovery items SMI and SUD conditions with low and high severity. RESULTS: For SMI, perceptions and expectations of recovery as process were endorsed more than outcome. Severity effect led to greater increases in perceptions and expectations about recovery as process. Specifically, differences between outcome and process for schizophrenia were significantly larger than for depression. For SUD, expectations of process were significantly lower than outcome ratings. One negative interaction was found for SUD expectations; difference scores for opiate users were smaller than for alcohol. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: We discussed implications for interventions that enhance recovery for people with SMI and SUD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of recovery colleges in supporting personal goal achievement.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the types of goals set, the degree to which goals were achieved, and the factors influencing goal attainment for participants in a Recovery College, a recovery-based mental health education program that uses peer learning advisors to facilitate individual student learning plans. METHOD: Students of the Recovery College set baseline goals that were rated in terms of importance and difficulty in line with the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) framework and reviewed at follow-up points. Goals were reviewed to determine areas of priority and an analysis of goal attainment was conducted using multinomial logit regression analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-four students recorded their goals. The most common goal areas identified related to education, socialization, physical health, mental health, and employment. Seventy percent of goals were fully or partially achieved with goals rated as having a lower difficulty more likely to be achieved. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Recovery College is a program model that can effectively support personal goal achievement, a recommended indicator of personal recovery and program success. The GAS proved to be a useful instrument for measuring goal setting and attainment in students' recovery journeys and peer learning advisors were effective in facilitating this process. The setting and achievement of physical health goals is of clinical significance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

People with severe problematic personality traits and offending histories: What influences occupational participation?

BACKGROUND: Occupational participation is important for personality disordered offenders (PDOs) because it is integral to health and desistance from offending. What influences occupational participation is unknown for PDOs in the community, limiting effective intervention to affect change. In England and Wales, the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway aims to improve outcomes for people considered highly likely to have a severe personality disorder and who present a high risk of reoffending, who are determined to be PDOs on the basis of a structured assessment. This study identified the influencers of occupational participation for the population who receive this service. METHOD: In this critical realist, qualitative study, narrative interviews were conducted with 18 PDOs supervised by probation in England. Transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to establish influencers of occupational participation. RESULTS: Four themes describe influencers of occupational participation: function of occupations; influence of the past; external forces; and learning and adaptation. The latter theme reflected understandings of occupational adaptation described by the Model of Human Occupation. CONCLUSIONS: An intervention to increase prosocial occupational participation should be developed and evaluated for PDOs in the community, taking account of occupational participation over the life course.

Does stage of illness influence recovery-focused outcomes after psychological treatment in bipolar disorder? A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: There is great interest in the possibility that 'stage of illness' moderates treatment outcomes in bipolar disorder (BD). Much remains unknown about the construct of stage of illness, but there is evidence that effectiveness of psychosocial interventions may depend on factors that are plausible proxy measures of stage of illness (e.g., number of episodes). To date, reviews of this data have focused solely on clinical outcomes (particularly symptoms and relapse rates), but a range of recovery-focused outcomes (including functioning, cognitive functioning, and quality of life) have been measured in individuals with established BD. The aim of the proposed systematic review is to synthesise existing evidence for plausible proxy measures of stage of illness as moderators of recovery-focused and functional outcomes in psychosocial treatment studies of BD. METHODS: The proposed review will follow PRISMA guidelines; Scopus, PsychINFO, PubMed and Web of Science will be searched for empirical studies of psychosocial interventions used for established (clinical stages 2-4) BD; and findings will be summarised in a narrative synthesis of clinical stage of illness (operationalised in proxy measures identified in existing staging models) as a moderator of recovery-focused and functional outcomes of psychosocial interventions for established bipolar disorder. DISCUSSION: This review will contribute to the literature by expanding upon previous reviews and potentially inform the psychosocial treatment of established BD. Implications include assisting clinicians, consumers and researchers to identify and select interventions most appropriate to recovery-focused goals based on individuals' clinical status. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42016037868.

Epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for psychosocial problems in patients and families affected by non-intellectually impairing craniofacial malformation conditions: a systematic review protocol of qualitative data.

BACKGROUND: Physical attractiveness or unattractiveness wields a tremendous impact on the social and psychological components of life. Many individuals with facial deformities are treated more negatively than normal individuals, which may affect their self-image, quality of life, self-esteem, interpersonal encounters, and ultimately, success in life. Malformations that do not create physiological problems and whose major health impact is to degrade physical attractiveness and engender psychosocial consequences are insufficiently understood and not considered functional problems by medical insurance companies. METHODS/DESIGN: As part of a clinical practice guideline development process for psychosocial concerns in Freeman-Burian syndrome, manuscripts describing psychosocial considerations related to the presence of non-intellectually impairing craniofacial malformation conditions or associated clinical activities are sought, especially focusing on epidemiology, prevention, symptoms, diagnoses, severity, timing, treatment, consequences, and outcomes. All published papers on this topic are considered in searching PubMed, OVID MEDLINE, and CINAHL Complete and again before final analyses. The results will be written descriptively to be practically useful and structured around the type or timing of psychosocial problems or consequences described or target population characteristics. No meta-analysis is planned. DISCUSSION: Because the quality of research on psychosocial problems in craniofacial malformation conditions is known to be fraught with methodological problems, inconsistencies, and considerable knowledge gaps, we anticipate difficulties, which may limit the review questions able to be answered. We hope to produce a survey relevant to all non-intellectually impaired craniofacially deformed patients and their families and outline knowledge gaps and prioritise areas for clinical investigation. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42018093021: UNIVERSAL TRIAL NUMBER: U1111-1211-8153.

Service costs and mental health self-direction: Findings from consumer recovery investment fund self-directed care.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health self-direction, also known as self-directed care, involves an individual budget controlled by the participant with support from a specially trained recovery coach. The model under study here, implemented in a Medicaid behavioral health managed care context, allowed individuals to intentionally reduce mental health service use and apply cost savings as "Freedom Funds" to purchase a range of goods and services that are not typically considered mental health services to support recovery. This pre-post study examined mental health service utilization and cost before and after participating in self-direction. METHODS: The study involved Medicaid claims data for 45 self-directing participants over a 3-year period. Bivariate statistics were computed to identify meaningful pre-post differences in service utilization and standardized monthly costs. RESULTS: Median standardized monthly mental health clinical outpatient costs were significantly lower after self-direction participation compared to before. Participants spent a mean of $182 per month in Freedom Funds to purchase a range of nonclinical goods and services to work toward recovery goals. Total service costs-including Freedom Funds used during self-direction-did not differ significantly before and after program participation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Findings from this modest pre-post examination of self-direction suggest that mental health self-direction can result in more person-driven, individualized services without increasing costs. More research is needed to examine the cost-effectiveness of self-direction and to understand how program design and implementation factors influence the relationship between self-direction and service costs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

An exploration of linear and curvilinear relationships between community participation and neurocognition among those with serious mental illnesses.

OBJECTIVE: Longitudinal research supports an effect of participation in aspects of community life (e.g., leisure activity, employment) on neurocognition in the general population. This study examined the extent and nature of the relationship between community participation and neurocognition among people with serious mental illnesses. METHOD: Participants included 168 adults with schizophrenia spectrum or affective disorder diagnoses who completed the Temple University Community Participation Measure and Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses explored linear and curvilinear effects of the amount and breadth of community participation on neurocognition. RESULTS: Significant linear relationships existed between amount of community participation and overall neurocognitive functioning, motor speed, verbal fluency, and attention/processing speed, and between breadth of participation and verbal fluency. Significant curvilinear effects were noted between amount of community participation and verbal memory, and between breadth of community participation and overall neurocognitive functioning and motor speed. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Findings suggest that enhanced community participation may contribute to improved neurocognitive functioning, further supporting the importance of this rehabilitation target. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).